On Sunday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar mocked Sonia Gandhi's return as the interim president of the Congress party.
Addressing an election rally, Chief Minister Khattar recalled: "After losing the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi resigned as the Congress president and started saying that the party should get new president from outside Gandhi family," Khattar said.
"We thought this was good, to move away from nepotism (parivarvad)... But they spent three months moving around the country in search of a new party president. After three months who became the president? Sonia Gandhi. Khoda Pahad Nikli Chuiya, Vo Bhi Mari Hui. This is their condition," added Khattar.
The Haryana chief minister's comments prompted a counterattack from the Congress. The Congress has demanded an apology from the Chief Minister. "The comment made by the BJP's Chief Minister is not only cheap and objectionable, it also shows the anti-women character of the BJP. We condemn Chief Minister ML Khattar's remark and demand an immediate apology from him," the Congress tweeted in Hindi.
Khattar, who became the Chief Minister of Haryana in 2014, is known for controversial comments. He was widely criticised for his recent remark on Kashmiri women after the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir in August. "Now some people say Kashmir is open; they (brides) will be brought from there. But jokes apart, if (sex) ratio is improved, then there will be a right balance in society," he had said.
